Riveting, deeply moving, and full of heart.
Three Rhode Island high school seniors plan to magically resurrect their dead best friend.
Told through alternating perspectives, the novel follows the three main characters as they wrestle with various forms of grief as well as other pressing issues. Biracial Natalie, who doesn’t know her Black father, is terrified that her drug-addicted White mother will overdose and die. Inez suffers from anxiety, wrestles with her Catholic upbringing, and worries about sponsoring her father’s immigration after he was deported to the Dominican Republic. Miliani misses her mysteriously distant mother as well as her late grandfather, who taught her magical practices from the Philippines. Each of them struggles profoundly with their friend Jasmine’s sudden death in a drunken driving accident, particularly Miliani, who was in love with Jasmine. She blames herself for what happened and will stop at nothing to bring Jasmine back—even if it comes to forcing Jasmine’s surviving identical twin to host her dead sister’s resurrected spirit, a part of the plan she keeps secret from the others. Heartbroken, Miliani leads her friends to dangerously pursue dark magic that pushes their limits and unearths many secrets. Fresh twists keep pages turning, eerily and heartbreakingly building toward a satisfying conclusion in which questions are answered. The mysteries are skillfully layered, and the expert pacing keeps the story flowing well.
Riveting, deeply moving, and full of heart. (Paranormal. 14-18)Pub Date: May 31, 2022
ISBN: 978-1-250-78852-8
Page Count: 480
Publisher: Henry Holt
Review Posted Online: March 1, 2022
Kirkus Reviews Issue: March 15, 2022
BOOK REVIEW
A heavy read about the harsh realities of tragedy and their effects on those left behind.
In this companion novel to 2013’s If He Had Been With Me, three characters tell their sides of the story.
Finn’s narrative starts three days before his death. He explores the progress of his unrequited love for best friend Autumn up until the day he finally expresses his feelings. Finn’s story ends with his tragic death, which leaves his close friends devastated, unmoored, and uncertain how to go on. Jack’s section follows, offering a heartbreaking look at what it’s like to live with grief. Jack works to overcome the anger he feels toward Sylvie, the girlfriend Finn was breaking up with when he died, and Autumn, the girl he was preparing to build his life around (but whom Jack believed wasn’t good enough for Finn). But when Jack sees how Autumn’s grief matches his own, it changes their understanding of one another. Autumn’s chapters trace her life without Finn as readers follow her struggles with mental health and balancing love and loss. Those who have read the earlier book will better connect with and feel for these characters, particularly since they’ll have a more well-rounded impression of Finn. The pain and anger is well written, and the novel highlights the most troublesome aspects of young adulthood: overconfidence sprinkled with heavy insecurities, fear-fueled decisions, bad communication, and brash judgments. Characters are cued white.
A heavy read about the harsh realities of tragedy and their effects on those left behind. (author’s note, content warning) (Fiction. 14-18)Pub Date: Feb. 6, 2024
ISBN: 9781728276229
Page Count: 416
Publisher: Sourcebooks Fire
Review Posted Online: Jan. 5, 2024
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Feb. 1, 2024
BOOK REVIEW
There’s not much plot here, but readers will relish the opportunity to climb inside Autumn’s head.
The finely drawn characters capture readers’ attention in this debut.
Autumn and Phineas, nicknamed Finny, were born a week apart; their mothers are still best friends. Growing up, Autumn and Finny were like peas in a pod despite their differences: Autumn is “quirky and odd,” while Finny is “sweet and shy and everyone like[s] him.” But in eighth grade, Autumn and Finny stop being friends due to an unexpected kiss. They drift apart and find new friends, but their friendship keeps asserting itself at parties, shared holiday gatherings and random encounters. In the summer after graduation, Autumn and Finny reconnect and are finally ready to be more than friends. But on August 8, everything changes, and Autumn has to rely on all her strength to move on. Autumn’s coming-of-age is sensitively chronicled, with a wide range of experiences and events shaping her character. Even secondary characters are well-rounded, with their own histories and motivations.
There’s not much plot here, but readers will relish the opportunity to climb inside Autumn’s head. (Fiction. 14 & up)Pub Date: April 1, 2013
ISBN: 978-1-4022-7782-5
Page Count: 336
Publisher: Sourcebooks Fire
Review Posted Online: Feb. 12, 2013
Kirkus Reviews Issue: March 1, 2013
BOOK REVIEW
SEEN & HEARD
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